Tuesday, January 31, 2012

For all of us here at Resendiz Brothers Valentine's Day is much more than a one day event. It usually begins about now, and last for two weeks. It feels like you have become part of a endless sea of flowers and foliage, where everyday gorgeous flowers are harvested, packed up, shipped out and more continue to flow in. For two weeks you not only enjoy beautiful flowers, you become a part of them!

Monday, January 23, 2012

This month Florists' Review Magazine presented its fifth biennial trend forecast for floral professionals. It is their hope that each of the five imaginative looks they created will inspire compelling and successful flower arrangements, merchandising decisions, retail atmospheres, and wedding and event themes. So, as we reviewed the pages of this new guide, we couldn't help but wonder how the flowers and foliage we grow would mesh with these five new trends.

1. Rural Route - Casual and simple floral materials lead the way in compositions that comprise humble blossoms, field flowers and heirloom varieties along with grasses, pods, fruits, vegetables, and vines that demonstrate a gathered-in-the-country look. This color palette consists of hues like barn red, buttercream, denim blue, pumpkin orange, lemon yellow and clay. Here are our Rural Route choices:

Pincushion Yellow Bird

Waxflower Sweet Sixteen

Persimmon Branches

Isopogan - Purple Pin

Leucadendron Tintum2. Garden Club - Boldness and graphic impact mark the "Garden Club" flower arrangement, which uses vivid color and geometric form to make its powerful statement. This color palette is centered on red and capturing a full range of kindred hues from violet to orange. Here are our Garden Club selections:

Protea Ivy

Pincushion Flame Giant

Waxflower Purple Pride

Leucadendron Goblet

3. Sea to Shining Sea - Reflecting the water and sky tones, blue blossoms and sea holly, proteas, wispy fillers and grasses complete the mix in arrangements that are casual and spontaneous and reflecting the carefree attitude of the seaside. This palette embraces the varied blue and green hues, as well as a wide range of neutrals, from driftwood brown to creamy sand and blush shell pink. Our Sea to Shining Sea choices:

Protea Repen 'Sugarbush'

Leucadendron Silver Tree

Banksia Speciosa

Serruria Pretty n Pink

4. American Gypsy - Oversized and bightly colored blossoms are key to the expressive nature of this trend. The palette contains a spirited mix of energetic pinks and a retro-inspired turquoise join a full range of polychromatic mid -to -full hues. Our American Gypsy choices:

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Famed for its spectacular foliage, Leucadendron Argenteum or often called "Silver Tree" has wonderful large, broadly pointed green leaves covered in silver silken hairs. These leaves create a vivid display as they shimmer in the wind. And, 'Shimmer' is just what they do when used on Rose Parade Floats! This year at the 123 Tournament of Roses Parade, Silver Tree leaves were spotted on many of the beautifully decorated floats. Here are a few of the wonderful ways this fabulous foliage was displayed!

Friday, January 13, 2012

Before the floats made their debut down Colorado Boulevard, California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross, in partnership with the Buy California Marketing Agreement (BCMA), recognized Kit-Cat®Clock and the students of Cal Poly Universities in a special ceremony for committing their floats to be the first “California Grown” ever certified “CA Grown” in this 123 year-old parade. More than 85 percent of the flowers adorning each organization’s float were sourced from California flower farmers.

“To the Rescue!” Cal Poly University’s Float - was the ONLY Float to actually GROW some of the Flowers used on the Float… in the Horticulture Fields… NO other Float boasts this Achievement!

Kit-Cat Clock 80th Anniversary Float - had More Varieties of Flowers than any other float to date… The Diversity of CA Grown Flowers… truly Displayed the BOUNTY of California Flowers!

“From San Diego to the Oregon border, more than 250 California flower farmers account for 75 percent of all domestically grown cut flowers in the United States, making California the top flower producer in the country,” said Secretary Ross. “And there is no better event to celebrate the bounty of California’s majestic flower industry than the annual Tournament of Roses Parade. Certifying two of the floats this year is just the beginning of what I believe to be a return to sourcing CA Grown floral and non-floral materials for the Rose Parade, we hope to double the number of certifiable “CA Grown” floats each year.”

It was wonderful to see all the beautiful California Grown Flowers on these Floats – what a great way to start the New Year – 2012! A Historic Event… Creating an Opportunity to bring the Rose Parade Full Circle and speak to the Bounty of America’s Flowers grown in the USA… right in California!